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Tuesday, 24 April 2012

Victorian Pillarbox

On Saturday I went to an open day at the Postal Museum in Debden, on the central line. Yes, another of those quaint out of the way museums run mainly by enthusiastic volunteers, that open on "selected dates throughout the year". What a treasure trove, stamp machines, telegram desks, vehicles galore, its own unique underground mail rail complete with engine, and the most spectacular collection of Victorian pillar boxes.

The first pillar boxes were introduced as a trial in 1852 in the Channel Islands, seemingly because this was where Anthony Trollope world famous Post Office employee (later to become a world famous novelist) recommended they do it there. The following year they were popping up all over the UK in a variety of sizes, shapes and colours. However, the Victorian Postal service, being the lovers of order that they were, decreed in 1859 that they would all be the same shape and colour (red only) and would be available in just two sizes. Liverpool was not happy about this and argued successfully that they needed a bigger version. This came to be known as the Liverpool special.

I would like to spend time here, as your postal equipment differs rather dramatically from ours. For example, I can't ever recall having round "pillar" boxes. And our mailboxes are blue. With some white. And red.